108 MIFFLIN STREET – STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"Hey. Take it easy," the tall, dark-haired woman whispered, stroking the blonde's hair back.

Emma, having woken in a stranger's bed after an intense trauma she hardly remembered, let out a startled, petrified scream.

"Easy!" Regina cried, catching Emma by the wrist as the woman swung to hit her. "I'm not going to hurt you, darling."

"Oh, my God," Emma gasped. "WHERE IS MY SON?"

"Take a deep breath, sweetheart. He's alright."

"WHERE IS HE!"

"You're going to—"

But the infant's cries erupted before the older woman could warn Emma not to wake him.

"He's fine. You're both going to be fine," the woman cooed softly, lifting the infant out of the crib beside the bed and into her arms, handing him carefully to Emma.

Sobbing, Emma clutched her son close to her chest and rocked him gently.

"What the hell happened to me?" she finally asked, looking up at Regina with wet, shimmering eyes. "Who are you? Where's Neal?"

"Relax, honey. It's gonna be alright. My name is Regina Mills. I'll answer everything you ask, and it will undoubtedly scare you, but please, hear me when I say I will do anything to protect you. Both of you."

As Emma clutched her son to her chest while she sat up in the bed, she looked up at Regina in disbelief and asked, "What do you mean 'you'll protect us?'"

Regina folded her hands in front of herself, and patiently asked, "What's the last thing that you remember?"

Emma focused her thoughts as she began to think out loud, "Well, I was with Neal, and I left him, finally. I was walking to town through the woods I guess, and then… Oh, my God! What was that… that thing? And you! You were there!"

"Yes. I was, and that thing was a werewolf."

Emma shook her head in disbelief, then said, "What are you talking about? No, that's…that's not possible."

Regina stepped towards the bed, sat at the edge, then said, as calmly as she could, "I'm telling you the truth. There's a lot about this a world that you don't know. The long and short of it is I've got a lot to tell you, and I will tell you everything, I promise. And I meant what I said. That was a werewolf that attacked you and the man that you were with.

Emma saw the serious face that Regina wore, but she couldn't stop the laughter that escaped from her lips, as she said, "Okay, no. You are definitely not serious right now."

Just as Emma finished speaking, Regina, who had been sitting at he edge of the bed, was suddenly gone in a blur of motion, and in a flash was standing at the other end of the room.

As Emma gasped in surprise, she took in Regina who looked to be a living statue, and the only indication that she had moved was the slightly out of place hair that was slowly settling on her slender shoulders.

Emma swallowed, then said, "You're not kidding."

"No. No, I'm not."

Emma broke her gaze from Regina, then looked down at her sleeping son. His soft skin had a slight pink hue to it. His tiny head was peppered with a few strands of delicate brown hair. His soft breathing came in low tones as he comfortably sucked on his thumb. Emma's face stretched into a warm grin as she looked down at her son. As Emma became lost looking at him, she slowly remembered the other woman in the room.

Without looking up from her baby, Emma asked, "Neal, the man I was with… He's dead, isn't he?"

"Yes."

Still without breaking her gaze from her son, Emma continued, "Why can't remember what happened?"

Without moving, Regina, answered, "There is a reason for that, and it's a natural response to that kind of experience. The attack was a significant trauma, which impacts memory. Your mind was trying to protect you. I will of course explain further. I would just suggest that you put your baby down first."

Emma heard the sincerity in Regina's even voice and looked up at the still woman, then saw her pained face. Not feeling comfortable asking why Regina looked distraught, Emma, with graceful ease, slid out of the plush bed, then walked to the crib, and gently placed her sleeping child down.

"His name is Henry, and I'm Emma," the blonde said with a welcoming smile. "And you said your name is Regina?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Well I guess I owe you a thank you."

"You really don't, and you likely wont when I tell you everything."

"That's really my choice to make," Emma said with a settled tone.

Regina raised one eyebrow in response.

"Come on, we can talk in the other room, while Henry sleeps," Regina said as she motioned to the door.

Emma walked to the dark oak door and turned back to look at Henry, who was sleeping in his crib. Satisfied that Henry would be safe, Emma turned to face Regina.

"So, you have children."

With her face falling slightly, Regina answered, "No. No, I don't."

"Then why?" Emma asked with confusion, as she motioned back to the crib.

Resuming her half smile, Regina continued, "Come on," and she opened up the door.

Emma could see that Regina was not telling her something, but she chose to wait before asking further.

Emma followed Regina into the room and stole one last glance at Henry as she gently closed the door. As Emma faced the room, she caught her breath. Before her was the largest sitting room she had ever seen. The room was lit from large windows that stretched to the floor. Though the windows were covered with delicate drapes, they showed the view of a thick forest that was showered in sunlight. Hanging from the walls were various stunning works of art that depicted sunny landscapes. In the center of the room was a plush leather couch, chairs, a large wooden table, all of which hugged a grand fireplace that had a roaring fire within. As Emma blinked, she saw that Regina was sitting on the couch as she stared into the fire. Emma slowly walked around to join her and was stunned both by the woman's beauty and the stillness of her form. When Emma sat, Regina slowly turned her head and faced the blonde.

"So, werewolves are real," Emma said quietly. When Regina nodded her head, the blonde asked, "And that's what killed Neal?"

With a hint of irritability, Regina answered, "Yes, werewolves are violent creatures. Werewolves look like typical humans, but they can turn into great beasts at will. On the night of the full moon, the person is forced to change into the creature, and on those nights, they are at the most dangerous. Whenever a person chooses to change, they are in control, but on the night of the full moon, the wolf is purely an animal.

In realization, Emma said, "It was a full moon last night."

"Yes. I was hunting in the woods when I came upon it. Unfortunately, it overpowered me, and it got away. I'm so sorry Emma. If I had been a little faster, you and your husband would have been safe."

Seeing the woman's distress, Emma couldn't help herself when she placed her hand on Regina's knee.

"Hey, I'm not saying Neal deserved to die, but you saved me twice that night."

"No, Emma. I killed you that night."

In sudden confusion, Emma asked, "What?"

Regina gingerly moved Emma's hand away, then began, "Emma I'm… I'm a vampire."

Regina saw that Emma was not going to interrupt her, and she continued, "After the werewolf ran off, that's when you were in real danger. I hardly noticed that you were there at first, but with the wolf gone, all I could smell was your blood, and I wanted you. I wish I could say that I thought of my options first and that I had seen that you were going to die from your injuries anyway, but I didn't. When the thirst truly takes us, there is no thought and no plan. We act. Of course, you can gain more control, and I usually do, but in that moment, I wanted you, and I took you. It's very important that you understand that when you feed you, can only take blood from the living. Drinking the blood of the dead will kill you. Hence why I fed on you while you were still alive."

With her eyes going wide, Emma said, "Are you saying, that I'm—" but she found herself unable to say the word, and she instead finished, "—like you?"

As the pain mounted on her face, it crept into Regina's voice, and she said, "I'm so sorry, but yes, you are a vampire. I had to make the choice for you. I had to either let you and your child die, or to turn you."

In a flash, Emma was on her feet, and she blurted out, "Henry."

Suddenly, Regina was standing in front of Emma and was firmly holding blonde's tense shoulders, as she said, "Your son is fine. You just saw him."

As Regina finished, she dropped her arms back to her sides and took a step back.

"Is Henry like us?"

"I'm honestly not sure. As I turned you, your body was dying, and so was your baby." A single tear formed in her right eye, and although she quickly wiped it away, the action was not lost on Emma, as Regina continued, "I removed your baby from your womb as quickly as I could, but once again, I was too late. Your son was already changing, but I've never heard of an unborn child being made into a vampire before."

While Emma sat on the couch, her mind worked with a degree of clarity it had never had before, and she came to her conclusion, "Regina, Neal was dead, and Henry and I were on our way. I can't fault you for what you are. When the moment came, you did what you could to save us. I don't know what life will look like, but what I do know is that Henry and I will have a life because of you. I stand by what I said: you saved us. Thank you. Oh, and Regina… Please call my baby Henry."

"Oh, I didn't know if you'd want me to be so familiar."

With a small smile, Emma said, "Of course I do."

As Regina stepped back into the sitting room from an unseen kitchen, she held two metallic cups with lids on them and motioned for Emma to take one.

"What is it?" Emma asked curiously.

A small smile spread on Regina's face, which Emma found herself returning, and the brunette said, "I'll give you three guesses, but you're only going to need one."

"Oh," Emma said, but as the aroma of the warm blood made its way to her, she found herself moving in a blur of speed, and suddenly she was holding the cup to her nose and inhaling deeply. Pausing, she looked to Regina, and she saw the woman nod her head. As the blood drained into her mouth, Emma felt an new ecstasy overcome her, and she greedily took in its contents. Emma felt the warmth spread from her mouth then throughout her body. As Emma looked up, she felt herself breathing in heavily in sync with her pounding heart, and an unknown longing took hold of her. Emma looked down in surprise and saw that she had crushed the metal cup into a compressed heap.

"Oh, shit. Sorry," Emma said as both the blood and her shock made her flush.

"Don't worry about it. I have plenty. And in case you're wondering, you're psychically stronger than you were yesterday. Faster too."

"Huh. That's cool. So, where do you get this blood?" Emma asked as quickly as she thought as she thought about her lingering thirst.

"Well, sometimes when the medical supply truck makes its delivery to Storybrooke General Hospital, a few bags of blood go missing," Regina answered with a grin as she sipped at her cup.

"So… What, do you hypnotize people, or turn into a bat or something?" Emma inquired with a grin.

"Oh, no. We can't do anything like that. I'm rich, and I bribe the driver."

"Well, that was anticlimactic. So… How rich?"

Seeing the smile on Emma's lips, Regina shook her head as she laughed, "Rich enough."

"So, what else can we do?" Emma asked as the two women made their way back to the couch.

"Well, let's see. You're strong and fast, as you found out. Your senses are also enhanced, which means you won't be needing these any more," Regina said as she pulled Emma's glasses from the drawer of the coffee table.

Emma blinked as she realized she could see everything around her with perfect clarity. Emma looked at her glasses and she took in the chipped plastic with such detail that she could make out the fine scratches from the miniature screws holding the frames together.

Emma took the glasses from Regina's open hand, and with a broad smile, she said, "I've been waiting a long time to do this."

Looking down, Emma closed both hands over the glasses and crushed the contents in her hands.

Seeing Emma's excitement, Regina continued, "And that's just the beginning. I have a lot to tell you. Come on."

Regina led Emma back to the bedroom as the two looked on at Henry sleeping in his crib.

"Generally, you'll every morning when the sun rises, and you'll awake when the sun sets. You can feed on any type of blood, human or animal. If you're hurt, human blood will heal you much faster than animal blood. Drinking human blood can mean the difference between life and death, if you're badly hurt. As for which tastes better, I won't lie to you, human blood tastes much better."

Hesitantly, Emma asked, "And which do you prefer to drink?"

Sighing, Regina answered, "Emma, I've made a lot of bad choices in my life. Now, I mostly feed off animals, but as you found out, I do feed on humans occasionally. I try to supplement with my acquired human blood but sometimes— Sometimes I will hunt humans that are predators themselves. I'm not saying what I do is right, or that you have to do as I do, but it's an option." Suddenly growing serious, Regina continued, "It's obvious that you love Henry, but the thirst will always be there. If you stay fed then you can keep it at bay, but it's always there. As you age, you won't need to feed as often, but eventually the thirst always comes back."

"Oh."

"I won't lie to you. The thirst can be hard to live with, but as long as you want it, I will always be here to offer my help."

Emma felt the genuineness from the older woman, as she thought, She cares about me and Henry. It's hard for her to show it, but she does.

With her mind working quickly, Emma suddenly asked, "What about Henry? Doesn't he need… blood to drink?"

Suddenly slightly flushed, Regina looked away from Emma and towards Henry, as she answered, "I… I fed Henry a bottle of blood while you were sleeping. You… You were in a really bad state."

Suddenly concerned, Emma looked at her body, and felt for any pain but found none.

"Don't worry, your body healed while you slept, but I'm sorry. I didn't mean to over step."

Seeing Regina's distress return, Emma said, "No, no it's fine. I just—"

Realizing Emma's thoughts, Regina reassured Emma, as she said, "I understand, and I'm sorry I took that first from you, but I promise you'll have more, and I won't get in the way."

Feeling ashamed of her sudden jealously, Emma said, "I'm sorry. You were there for Henry when he needed you. We're lucky to have you, and I don't want to hear you say otherwise again."

Slightly taken aback by the assertiveness from Emma, Regina could only manage to meekly say, "Okay."

Emma walked over to Henry and gently stroked his chubby cheek as she asked, "What can hurt us?"

Without moving further into the room, Regina replied tonelessly, "Sunlight, fire, or destroying the heart. We burn in the daylight. The younger you are, the quicker you burn. I'm sorry, but you'll never be able to go into the daylight again. Thankfully, we heal quickly, so even if you are burnt, you'll heal. You'll heal faster if you feed on blood, especially on human blood."

Regina took a step forward, as she suddenly felt herself becoming protective over the two newborn vampires.

Without thinking, Regina said, "On my life, I will do everything within my power so that no harm ever comes to you two."

Emma looked into the deep brown eyes of the woman before her, and she felt her heart quicken as she said, "I know."

As Emma and Regina walked out of the bedroom, she noticed for the first time that the light from the room emanated were the windows. As her eyes grew wide, she took a instinctive step back, into Regina.

"Oh," Regina said as Emma brushed against her.

"Regina, the sunlight."

Shaking her head as she gently laughed, Regina said, "Sorry about that," and walked to the window to push back the drape and reveal the window.

As Emma focused her vision, she could see the pixilated screen behind the window, and in astonishment she breathed, "It's a video."

"Yeah, one of the things I missed after becoming a vampire was the daylight, and when I built this place, I had these installed." As Regina admired the simulated sky, she continued, "It's the closest thing to the real thing that I can get these days."

Reluctantly pulling her attention from detailed video, Emma replied, "Hmmm."

With a smile, Regina left the drape to the side as she elaborated, "So, your… anatomy is mostly the same as it was."

Emma tilted her head slightly to the side, as she asked, "How do you mean?"

"Well, as you may have noticed your heart still beats, a bit slower than a human but it still works. You can only take in blood. Your digestive system has rearranged some, but everything still works."

"Everything?"

With her eyes looking elsewhere, Regina answered, "Everything."

"Oh… Well, that's good to know," Emma replied as she suddenly felt flush.

"Yes, well, and that's another thing… your appearance. Your skin will always be pale, but when you get… excited or happy, you can blush a little."

With a grin, Emma interrupted, "Like you are right now?"

With her blush deepening, Regina ignored the comment and continued as she coughed, "And I hope you like your appearance, especially your hair."

"Why?"

"You'll never age. If you get hurt, you'll heal to as you are now. If you cut your hair, it'll regrow to where it is now. So… I hope you like it."

Absently, Emma began to curl her hair and said, "I like my hair plenty."

"We'll it's—" Regina began, then said, "I'm glad. Do you have any questions? I know I've thrown a lot at you, and I know none of this is easy."

"Wait, what about Henry? Will he always be a baby?" Emma asked with sudden urgency.

With a level of concern, Regina answered as calmly as she could, "I honestly don't know. Worst case scenario, he will always have a mother that loves him, but as I said, Henry is different. We'll have to wait and see. Remember that I said you don't need to sleep? Well, Henry shouldn't need to sleep either, but he has been since we've been talking. I wish I had a better answer for you, Emma."

Emma mused for a moment, then asked, "So, I've never heard of real vampires or werewolves before. I take it this sort of thing isn't really talked about, is it?"

Regina explained sadly, "You're right. Very few people know about us. And for that reason, you can never have contact anyone from your past life. People would not understand. You will never age. You can't ever go back into the daylight like a human. That part of your life is over."

In shock, Emma stammered, "But… Ruby… She's my best friend. She's all I have left…"

Then, thinking also of her distant past and the sister she had lost, Emma reasoned, Belle doesn't want anything to do with me anyways, so how is Ruby any different?

"I'm sorry, Emma. I'm sure Ruby is very important to you, but there's no other way to keep you both alive."

"Come on, Emma, pick up your damn phone!" Ruby screamed at her cell phone as she clutched it to her ear.

"Hi. This is Emma. Please leave a message."

"God damn it!" Ruby yelled as she threw her cell phone against the motel wall, and the phone crashed to the floor in several broken pieces.

As Ruby sat on the edge of the motel bedroom, she was glued to the small TV before her.

A smartly dressed news reporter sat behind a desk with a laptop pushed to the side, as he was reading from the teleprompter off camera.

"Details are still scarce, concerning the brutal attack on a young couple honeymooning in the small town of Storybrooke. The remains of Neal Cassidy were found in the woods, just a half mile from town. Police have given a statement that Mr. Cassidy was likely attacked by a bear that had made its way close to the town. At this time the police have not released any information on Emma Cassidy. Police are asking for anyone to call in any information they may have…"

Ruby's attention trailed off as the news report continued, but her thoughts began to race, Emma, please be okay. If anything has happened to you... Oh God, please let her be safe!

As Ruby fell to the floor, she began to weep uncontrollably and she cried out, "Emma!"

"I fixed the room up for you while you were sleeping. It was mostly just storage before," Regina mused, looking around one of the many guest rooms in the mansion as she gestured for Emma to enter.

Hesitantly, Emma entered the room and took in her surroundings. Everything was so new and unfamiliar that it filled her with a feeling of unease. Still, Regina could not have been more welcoming, and it made it just a little bit easier for Emma to go and sit on the bed, clutching her son to her chest.

"Just relax," Regina said sweetly. "You're safe here."

With a weak nod, Emma stood up again and placed a sleeping Henry in the crib beside the bed.

"There's a bathroom just in the next room over. Plenty of clothes for you to use in the wardrobe," Regina announced. "They might not be quite your… style… but they should do the trick."

"Thank you, Regina," Emma replied softly, walking over to the closet and examining her many choices.

With a small smile, Regina nodded her head and said, "Goodnight, Emma." Then, turning towards the crib, she paused, then pensively whispered, "Goodnight, Henry."

When she was gone, Emma chose a neutral outfit and slipped under the silk sheets of the bed, relaxing against the pillows. After about an hour of tossing and turning with worry and thoughts of the overwhelming events that had just taken place, Emma finally drifted off to sleep.

Another twenty minutes after that, she woke up screaming.

"No!" Emma cried, thrashing beneath the covers before sitting up straight in bed.

Sweat dripped from her brow, and she felt her body shaking with terror as she stared into the darkness of the room and visualized the dream.

Emma opened her eyes, and they gradually responded. Her vision slowly focused and she saw stars twinkling overhead. Just as she marveled at the beauty above, the searing pain shot through her body as she felt a crushing weight slam onto her chest. Emma's view of the stars became replaced with that of the massive face of a wolf.

The wolf's long face was covered in dark brown fur. At the top of its head were two elongated ears that came to fine points. Under its hard brow bore two searing red eyes. But what Emma's eyes widened at was the massive elongated jaws that had rows or razor-sharp teeth that were covered in slick blood that shimmered in the moonlight. The wolf's jaw opened wide and Emma felt the hot breath and blood fall towards her. With a menacing growl, the werewolf pulled back its widened jaw then lunged forward towards Emma as she screamed.

It took Regina only moments to appear in the doorway, tearing Emma from the memory of the dream.

"Emma? What is it? What's wrong?" Regina asked anxiously, rushing to the side of the bed. "Are you okay?"

With a shaky voice, Emma replied, "N-No… I… I had a nightmare. It was… It was the wolf. Oh, Regina… It was awful."

"Oh, Emma," Regina sighed, sitting down next to the blonde on the bed.

It was then Emma noticed that Regina happened to be wearing a rather revealing black nightgown, trimmed with delicate black lace, that had ridden up her thigh to reveal the edge of a pair of red lace panties. Emma couldn't help but stare. But she was torn from her momentary stupor by the surprisingly warm sensation of Regina's arms slipping around her as the woman rubbed her back. Of course, this had required no thought on Regina's part, and she surprised herself with the gesture. But it was too late to pull away with embarrassment, so she leaned into the moment and held Emma gently.

"Come on," Regina softly urged her. "You can sleep next to me tonight. I'll move the crib."

Too exhausted from her terror to protest, and far too anxious to decline the offer, Emma rose carefully from the bed and lifted a crying Henry into her arms. He had been startled by her scream, but quickly calmed down once in his mother's embrace. As promised, Regina pulled the crib into her own bedroom, and Emma followed.

After placing a kiss on the baby's forehead and tucking him in, Emma looked nervously at the bed and asked, "Which side of the bed is mine?"

Emma gaped when Regina replied dryly, "It's all my side of the bed."

"Uhh… S-Sorry," Emma managed to say.

"I'm just teasing, Emma," Regina told her with a toothy grin. "You can have whichever side you want."

Blushing brightly as she laughed nervously at Regina's joke, Emma chose the side closest to the crib and slipped beneath the covers.

"Goodnight, Emma," Regina whispered softly, lying on her own edge of the bed, giving the blonde plenty of space.

As Emma lay under the bed, she felt the heated blanket warm her. With the increasing heat, she felt her heart rate slowly rise and began to curl her toes.

Regina, who was just beginning to fall asleep, felt Emma slowly shift in the bed as her breathing became heavier while the minutes ticked by. Lying in bed with her confusion mounting, Regina suddenly understood as her hand brushed against the heated blanket.

With her face feeling flush, Regina turned to look at Emma and said, "I… I forgot to mention something. So, as a vampire, your body is always cold. When you drink, the heat from the blood warms you… It feels good. And, well, you can sort of replicate that with a heated blanket. I can turn off your side of the bed if you like?"

"No," Emma blurted out, and then with a breath she continued, "No, thank you. You can keep it on. It feels… nice."

Grinning, Regina rolled away from Emma, and she drifted to sleep to the sound of Emma's heavy breathing.